“要想了解一个民族,最好的办法莫过于读它的诗歌。”在一本流传颇广的中诗选译《白驹集》(纽约,1947)里,美国学者罗伯特·佩恩(Robert Payne)如是说。这句话道出了西人对待中诗态度的一部分实情。明清之际西方传教士东来初年,《诗经》作为儒家的经典之一,便引起了他们高度的重视。此后,译《诗》者代有所见。不过,这部诗集毕竟是艺术作品,其中的词语、意象无不 “The best way to learn about a nation is to read its poems.” In a widely circulated poem translated by Bai Juji (New York, 1947), American scholar Robert Payne (Robert Payne) said. This sentence tells the West part of the poet’s attitude towards the reality. In the early years of the Ming and Qing dynasties, Western missionaries headed Eastward. As one of the Confucian classics, The Book of Songs aroused their great attention. Since then, the translation of “poetry” who have seen. However, this collection of poetry, after all, is an art work, in which the words, images are all